The present invention relates generally to an ice breaker of a type adapted to be secured to a roof and, more particularly, to an ice breaker which shears and/or retains sheets of ice which fall from a roof.
In both temperate and cold climates where the temperature falls below freezing, sheets of ice sometimes form on roofs of buildings. As the ice begins to melt, a layer of water forms between the top surface of the roof and the ice. As the ice continues to melt, it will tend to hydroplane on the layer of water and fall off the roof, sometimes in very large sheets. Often these falling sheets of ice are large enough to cause significant damage to the gutter directly below the roof. In addition, the large sheets of falling ice may cause injury to persons or damage to property in the path below.
Prior art attempts to solve problems caused by snow and ice buildup on roofs include the use of guards attached to the roof near the gutter. These guards generally include a retainer to prevent a significant amount of snow from falling over the edge of the roof. Although these guards may adequately deal with falling snow, they do not solve the unique problems associated with ice as delineated above. In particular, the prior art guards do not solve the problem of falling sheets of ice that are moving too fast to be retained by the guards. In addition, they do not solve the problem of reducing the size of the ice that is retained. Thus, these prior art guards do not adequately protect the gutter and objects below from the falling ice.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the aforementioned problem associated with the prior art wherein it is desired to provide an ice breaker.